Daenerys Targaryen Aemulatio
by TadTranclere
Summary: A series of disconnected Aemulatios which follow Daenerys Targaryen
1. Introdution

Introduction

For my SLC444 – "Heroes: Ancient and Modern" class, we have to do a series of what are essentially fanfictions. They are called "aemulatios" which is obviously not an English term. The basic idea of an aemulatio, for the purposes of the class, is to create a new, original story with the hero you got from the lottery in a similar tone to a work we have read in class.

My professor gave me a choice between Jessica Jones and Daenerys Targaryen because of their similarities to Dido, Queen of Carthage. I've been bugging my professor about Dido for quite some time starting in her Roman Religion class. I had never watched a single episode of Game of Thrones nor read a single word from the book. Now I've seen the whole show and I'm working my way through the first book (give me some slack, I'm an English major so I have a lot of reading to do and school just started up a month or so ago).

Seeing as I have to write what are essentially fanfictions for this class, I thought I should turn in the assignments then afterwards, post the aemulatios here.


	2. Chapter 1

Daenerys Targaryen First Aemulatio

 _This Aemulatio is meant to mirror the Epic of Gilgamesh. The topic is a step I chose from the Joseph Campbell's Journey of a Hero model. I chose the "Meeting with the Goddess" step. Please note, I was three seasons in when I wrote this. Some information is wrong. Some information, I retconned. I found out about the Night King because I researched the White Walkers for this one. The reason this sword is connected to her husband was me trying to tie a parallel between Dany and Dido. Dido uses her husband's sword to kill herself on the pyre. I decided that since I was going with a sword, why not make it special to her husband too? That's why the "upon the death of your husband" line is in there. I decided Khal Drogo had known of this sword because the guy who owned it was some distant ancestor. I couldn't specifically state that in the text because we do have a word limit (these need to be 300-500 words) and it would seem disjointed from the flow of the conversation._

Tablet VII. The Gift of the Goddess

The Unburnt Daenerys stood alone…

Listening to the sound of wind from without [her tent].

Her…

The Text of Tablet VII becomes legible once more

Lady Athenvra, known as "the mother," looked with grace:

'Come my child, Daenerys, mother of dragons

Let me harness you a weapon of godly strength,

To aid you for your battle beyond the wall.'

[Daenerys] opened her mouth to speak,

[saying] to Lady Athenvra:

'[Mhysa] this is an honor indeed,

The gift of a goddess cannot be [refused]

Tell me of what manner of weapon

Can help me protect [the people]

From the White Walkers in the North?

For winter is coming

And that coming brings death.'

Athenvra opened her mouth to speak,

Saying to Unburnt Daenarys:

'Breaker of Chains, I give you a sword

the sword of Gillches, forgotten by all

Upon the death of your husband.

I give you the heirloom

Of a line long broken.

King of this land you call Westros

In a time before time.

It was he who prevented a winter [that would never end]

The world over.

With this weapon he fended off [the White Walkers]

Winter is coming.

And with this weapon

You shall do the same as he [did]

And much more.

Never again will they rise

This I prophesy.

If beyond the wall, you can find and slay

The first White Walker.

In Burnham Wood, in the castle of Dunsinane

It lives and has lived

Long before the Night King reigned

Take the sword and put it

In its heart

And this shall be their

Last depart.'

Daenrys reached out and grasped the handle

Of the long-forgotten sword.

'I swear, sweet mother,

by the throne of iron and my children, the dragons,

To do this thing, which you have said

And rid the world of White Walkers, not just once again

But from that moment when the last takes its final breath

Until time shall come to its end.

Winter is coming,

And with it, the White Walkers

End.'


	3. Chapter 2

Daenerys Targaryen Second Aemulatio

Fire

 _Any italicized paragraph after this is part of the story. This time, I've been told to stop with the fake translated poetry. The first draft was in that style like we saw with the last one, but I was told to go narrative prose. The reading we are emulating this time around is the Iliad, specifically the Stanley Lombardo version of the Iliad. The topic this time is to show your hero in a "bie"or "metis" fashion or to show a coming together or argument between the two. I went for the last and decided to portray Dany as bie (note the animal and fire imagery) and Tyrion as metis (note him trying to talk sense into her). As the introduction to this all stated, this is a disjointed "story." Each Aemulatio is basically going to be a one shot. This time around, we are fighting Cersei, not the White Walkers. By the time I wrote this one, I had finished the show and I am still in the first book. Look, I've got a lot of reading in school. There's reading the stories for heroes class, there's my English literature: Thatcher and After where we read a novel once a week or in two weeks, there's the reading for my Pagans and Christians class, the readings for my ENG205 class, and the readings for my Speaking Politically class. Now that I finished the show, Game of Thrones is sort of on the backburner._

 _A bear comes to the aid of her cub with ferocity unmatched by any aggressor. She growls louder than any other being enough to strike fear into the heart of any._

Daenerys, on one of her wingèd beasts, rose into view whilst it yelled bronze that made every soldier's heart wince with pain. As the Royal army retreated, under threat of explosive precipitation, Daenerys felt a searing rage and unleashed flame. And Tyrion, barely able to shake the words out:

"I beg you, your grace, by your own soul and by your house, do not allow yourself to give into rage. Accept victory and let the brave men retreat back to their families. Let the kingdom sing of merciful Daenerys. You've proved yourself already. The people will follow you now that they see which direction the smoke is blowing. Now show mercy."

And Daenerys, igniting him with a stare:

"Don't whine to me about my house, you murdered your own father. I wish to end this war with your sister once and for all. There is no way to hold back the death I will wrought on traitors who worked to end my house and its line."

She was warned.

She was given an explanation.

Nevertheless, she persisted.

As must we all.

And Tyrion called to Daenerys, her face blazing like the sun. With voice shaking like a leaf he spoke:

"My Queen, you have won the battle and have wrought more destruction than any man has done in the North, for your children of the pyre assist you. But it is time to let it end. You should not be Queen of the blaze and ashes, but of people. Will you rule as one to be feared or as one to be loved? What inspires, in you, such rage? Let it be. I am stunned, O Queen. Do not act as your father would. You need to show the people you are different than he was."

 _A fire drake who has not eaten in fortnight turns to its prey._

"Beware betraying where your loyalties lie. I am your Queen and your sister is a traitor. I hate it like I hate hell the man who says one thing and thinks another. So this is how I see it. Your sister rules by fear and death, not I. Her last child a casualty of her game. An innocent child, as you have said, along with others in number untold. Innocents in her own realm were killed in her sept. My family, both the guilty and the innocents were murdered by these selfsame houses I now destroy. Those and those who fight for her should face the Father's justice without the Mother's mercy. The Mad Queen Cersei and her army will pay much more than the iron price. I will burn them all."

 _Like a goddess of death she launched a second wave of flame._

One phrase she had said rang on repeat in Tyrion's head:

"Burn them all."

Word Count: 495


	4. Chapter 3

Daenerys Targaryen Third Aemulatio

 _This one was written during midterms. As such, I didn't spend much time on it at all. A quality dip is noticeable to me. This time we are trying to emulate Sophcle's Orpheus, specifically the use of stichomythia. We were allowed to use any hero tactic we had learned in class for this one. I chose to do Meeting with the Goddess in Campbell's Journey of a Hero again. Melisandre is, in a sense, giving Dany the ultimate boon which is part of it. Seeing as the goddess needs to be a mother figure, I had to work Melisandre and Dany a bit to make it fit somewhat._

SCENE III

Melisandre:

Know you, O Queen, of Azor Ahai, the last hero? Eight thousand years before Aegon's landing, the Others rose up then, as they do now. Wielding a sword blest by the Lord of Light, he defeated the Others and brought an end to the Long Night. He forged his sword to defeat them by plunging it into the heart of his wife. Her soul combined with the sword, my Queen, and gave it power. You must reforge a sword, your husband's sword, and use my heart and blood to temper it, for the Lord of Light and his power runs through my veins and this has been my role, since the beginning, to play. With the Red Sword of Heroes, the Others shall meet their end.

Daenerys:

It is a myth. It is nothing.

Melisandre:

It is everything.

Daenerys:

I see nothing.

Melisandre:

You see but feign blindness.

Daenerys:

If I do, it is for your benefit.

Melisandre:

At the detriment of all.

Daenerys:

You wish for death?

Melisandre:

It is not death, but life in a new manner.

Daenerys:

And I refuse, your counsel has helped guide me.

Melisandre:

Let me guide you with this.

Daenerys:

You've been the only mother figure I've had.

Melisandre:

And you as dear as a daughter.

Daenerys:

You would ask a daughter to spill her mother's blood?

Melisandre:

We shall both be reborn, you must fulfill your destiny.

Daenerys:

The price is too high.

Melisandre:

The price is right.

Daenerys:

There must be a different price for the same end.

Melisandre:

There's only the iron price.

Daenerys:

And if you are mistaken?

Melisandre:

I have looked into the flames and they spoke true.

Daenerys:

What did they say?

Melisandre:

You are the Azor Ahai reborn, and Lightbringer shall be your sword.


	5. Chapter 4

Daenerys Targaryen Fourth Aemulatio

 _This Aemulatio was based on the format of the letters in Ovid's Heroides. I decided to try and mimic, specifically, the letter from Dido to Aeneas (my fascination by Dido is why the professor gave me Daenerys after all). Something other things that had to be included was a description of an object, or objects, which the hero owns as well as a complaint about the hero – these both had to express Daenerys' heroism in some way. This was the final Aemulatio, though we had a final project which was, essentially, another fanfiction using three themes from class and three emulations. You can find this fanfiction (if you want to see it) on my YouTube channel, the username is "Tad Tranclere."_

And so, as lion wants, the dragon lets herself fall prey to his trap and banish the bear. But I will not hope to move your heart with my prayer for forgiveness. Not telling you of the usurper's pardon was a mistake, but this is a punishment most cruel, the crime does not befit the consequence. Shall both your ships and our alliance sail from this shore on the same wind?

Permit me to return to you. Let me serve you. I desire nothing now but to serve you. I love you. If I had no love for you, we could part and I would be willing. But no matter how awful, how uncivil, you might think I am, I can never end my love for you. I saved you from the poison, though I would have profited from your death. I served you faithfully from that time forth.

When I swore my sword to your brother, my heart melted for you. It was for you I stood up to him. It is Jorah Mormont who you must thank for your flame-breathed dragons. When your brother tried to steal the ancient eggs, it was I who stopped him.

The stone dragon eggs were thought to have been petrified by time. One was green like a new forest birthed from the ashes of the old. One red was as blood and black as a midnight without fire's illumination. One was cream with flecks of gold, like embers against the snow – all were beautiful beyond description. As though jewel encrusted, they flickered in the light. These eggs, which felt as cold as stone to all but you, Kahleesi, who felt the heat within.

They were more valuable than any other objects in all the world. These eggs from the shadowlands of Ahssai were a gift fit for royalty. I could have taken them or let your brother do as he would, but I save them for you. Now they are the key to your success.

My tears have been far from silent since you've sent me away. You've tried to burn the bridge. Love is a weariness and a curse. I would rather the usurper or some other great villain kill me rather than make me live without you. But your deeds have already forced this upon me. My soul grows cold, my color is gone; my trust and love in you are the only two hopes I retain.

This sword you gifted me will serve thee. On the field fighting Lannister soldiers or the object which steels (1) my final breath. I charge myself to be an extension of your will. I have served you faithfully, and you've let your overpowered emotions cloud your reason. (2)

You depart soon across the poison sea. You leave without your most loyal behind you. Do not do this.

I beg you, be my Kahleesi, command that I go with you.

(1) Pun and misspelling intended

(2) This line is sexist, book Jorah seems pretty irreverent and this Jorah is a combination of book and television Jorah with some tweaks. This line is to emphasize the emotional part of Bie types.


End file.
